MR. MCCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. Let me give you the latest
update on Hurricane Katrina. The federal, state and local responders
continue to focus on life-saving and life-sustaining missions,
continuing with the ongoing search and rescue operations, as well as
making sure that water and food and medicine are getting to the people
who need it. We continue to work with the American Red Cross and state
partners and faith-based and community organizations to make sure that
Hurricane Katrina victims are in safe shelters with the life-sustaining
commodities that they need.

FEMA has continued to move forward on expediting cash assistance
programs. To date, FEMA has $460 million in aid. This is an immediate
cash assistance to some 230,000 households, so that people have the cash
to be able to purchase food and pay for shelter and get other basic
necessities, like medicine. There continue to be more than 70,000
people working round-the-clock to bring critical aid and support to
those in the Gulf Coast region. More than 248,000 evacuees have been
safely housed in shelters in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
More than 48,500 lives have been saved or rescued to date. And you have
87 national disaster medical teams engaged in the Gulf region.

Today, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Treasury Secretary Snow, Commerce
Secretary Gutierrez and Social Security Commissioner Barnhart are
traveling in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama to assess both the near-term
and long-term economic needs of those in the region and discuss
assistance available to individuals and small businesses in the region
that have been affected by this natural disaster. And I think FEMA --
DHS and FEMA will be holding a press briefing here shortly, from the
region.

The President this morning participated in his daily hurricane briefing,
early this morning. They discussed some of the issues that I've already
gone over, and other priority areas, such as making sure that we're
meeting the housing needs; the cash assistance program, how that's
working and if we're taking the steps to make sure we're improving the
delivery of those benefits; and mortuary affairs efforts on the ground
-- the state has the responsibility for overseeing the plan,
implementing the plan and the federal government through the military
and other ways, we're supporting those efforts with teams in the region,
as well.

And yesterday the Department of Labor announced grants totaling over $30
million to Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to expand their
capacity to process claims and expedite unemployment insurance payments
for those who have been left unemployed as a result of Hurricane
Katrina.

And the President here shortly will be participating in the September
11th event from the South Lawn, so I will go straight to your questions
now.

Q Scott, how is the debit -- what's the --

MR. McCLELLAN: You've been first every day this week.

Q Oh, wow. (Laughter.) What does the administration think about the
debit card system and the way that's working? There have been
complaints about that people aren't getting them, frustration that
people are standing in line.

MR. McCLELLAN: The debit cards are one part of the cash assistance
program, and there have been ongoing discussions on that to make sure
that we're taking steps to improve the delivery of the cash assistance
program. There are checks going directly to people, electronic
transfers that are going to people. And I think a large number -- or
the majority of that is through those means. And then there's also the
debit cards that are available. And FEMA has been working to improve
that system and get it to people as quickly as they can, particularly at
the larger shelters. And they can probably give you an update on the
latest activities that they're doing in that regard today.

Q Is there any -- also, is there any concern about fraud and abuse
with the way that the --

MR. McCLELLAN: Absolutely, and that's why yesterday I announced the
task force the Attorney General is heading up to make sure that those
who engage in fraudulent schemes or scams are pursued to the fullest
extent of the law. It will not be tolerated. This is a time when
people are coming together to help those who have been affected, and
those who try to take advantage of the situation will be pursued and
they will prosecuted.

Q Have you seen any evidence of that yet? Is there any prosecution
--

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have an update from the law enforcement
community, but you might want to direct questions to them to get the
latest update. We've been focusing on some other meetings this morning.

Kelly, go ahead.

Q When the Vice President had an opportunity to talk with the
President, did he identify any specific areas of bureaucracy or red tape
that he could suggest to Mr. Bush --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's a good question that you're bringing up. One of
the things that you heard the President say last week was that the
results that we had seen at that point were unacceptable. And the
President made it very clear that there's been a lot of good work, and
there have been many people working round-the-clock to help with the
response efforts and to help those who are in need. But there were
other areas where there were problems, and things weren't working the
way they should be.

And so part of the visits you've seen by administration officials,
starting with the President, has been to, as they go into the region, to
assess things on the ground, to hear from people who have been affected
and to look at the situation on the ground and assess what is working in
a firsthand way.

And so the President went to the region last week, and then he returned
to the region earlier this week. Secretary Chertoff went to the region
over the weekend, I think he's on his third visit now to the region. So
Secretary Chertoff has been assessing the situation on the ground, too.

Secretary Chertoff and the Department of Homeland Security have
responsibility for the operational activities, and the President has
been in very close contact on a daily basis with Secretary Chertoff,
hearing from him assessments. And he's also heard from the Vice
President today and heard assessments from him about what he has seen on
the ground. And they've talked about those issues.

Q Did --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we've been in several meetings this morning,
focused on a number of priority areas. And so I -- if I have any
additional information to get to you, I will. But we haven't been able
to talk about length about that at this point.

But yes, we are, in a number of ways, making changes and making
adjustments to make sure that where things aren't working, that they are
working. And Secretary Chertoff is very much on top of those matters.
He is making decisions and keeping the President informed of the
decisions that he's making. The President discusses that with him, and
we support the decisions that he's making. And one decision he made was
getting Admiral Allen in there to -- from the Coast Guard, to help
oversee certain operational aspects, as well. And this is an ongoing
process where decisions continue to be made, and we appreciate the
efforts of Secretary Chertoff.

Go ahead, Helen.

Q It's a non-Katrina question, so I'll defer if --

MR. McCLELLAN: Can we stay on Katrina and then I'll come back to you?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll be glad to. Go ahead.

Q Has Mike Brown resigned?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q Has Mike Brown resigned?

MR. McCLELLAN: No.

Q Has the President asked for his resignation today?

MR. McCLELLAN: No.

Q Does the President have full faith and confidence in Mike Brown?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, what we are continuing to do is to support those
in the region who are carrying out the operational activities. We
continue to appreciate the work of all those who have been working
round-the-clock.

As I just mentioned, I think what you need to do is look at the overall
situation. There are phases to this response effort, and we've been in
immediate needs phase for some time here now, for just over a week now,
focusing on the life-saving and life-sustaining missions. And Secretary
Chertoff has continued to visit the region, continued to assess things.
The President has continued to assess things. And Secretary Chertoff is
the one who is overseeing all the operational aspects. And so he's the
one who's making all the decisions about how to allocate resources and
to allocate people. And we support the decisions that he makes.

Q But you're not answering the question, which is, does the President
have confidence in Mike Brown?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think that's the way to address the overall
question. We appreciate all those who are working round-the-clock, and
that's the way I would answer it.

Go ahead.

Q Just to follow up Kelly, do you feel like you have now turned a
corner, that the results are more acceptable now?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Steve, there are a lot of challenges that we're
presented with. There's a lot of work that remains to be done. We have
been working to make sure that where things aren't going the way they
should, that they're fixed, and that they -- from our standpoint, that
we're working together with state and local officials, and we're
marshaling all the resources to make sure we're on top of all the
different areas. First and foremost, it's the immediate needs. It's
helping those who need basic necessities to live. It's helping those
who remain in the New Orleans area who need to be evacuated for public
health reasons and for life-saving reasons.

And we're -- there are so many people that have shown their compassion
and generosity and worked round-the-clock to help those who have been
affected. And we shouldn't overlook all the great accomplishments of
their work.

Q So you haven't turned a corner, then?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you know, you can use the terms you want to. What
I would say is that we appreciate the continued round-the-clock efforts
who are carrying out the ongoing operations to respond to the needs of
those in the region. And the President is not going to be satisfied as
long as there remain tasks to accomplish. There are ongoing challenges.
There are enormous challenges presented by this storm. This was one of
the worst and most devastating storms in our nation's history. And the
President is not going to stand back, like you all might have the
opportunity to do from time to time, and look at this from that
perspective. He's going to remain focused in a very sharp way on
continuing to make sure we're meeting the needs of the people in the
region.

Q Can I ask you about the economic implications of this? As you point
out, and this is something of a scale that we've never really dealt with
before, is the President concerned about the impact of this on the
national economy, beyond the obvious effect on the regional economy --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that you've heard from some of the economic
experts, and they've talked about the effect that it's having on the
economy. The Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality has
talked about the overall impact on the national economy. I think he's
used the term, "fairly modest," and that's what it's likely to be on the
overall economy.

There is certainly an economic impact in the region, and it has had a
national consequence, as well. And that's why we've taken some of the
actions we have to address those economic concerns.

Q If the general take at this point is that the national impact would
be fairly modest, does that mean the President disagrees with the
Republicans on the Hill who are talking about the need for more tax cuts
to provide stimulus to the economy as a result of --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think you've heard -- on our approach to the economy,
and we've laid out our priorities to continuing economic growth. Our
economy was growing strong and steadily before the hurricane hit. And
the devastation in the Gulf Coast region, I think if you talk to
economic experts, is -- would say that it's not expected to cause
long-term economic disruption.

But there are certainly economic needs in the region, and that's why our
economic team is there visiting with people who have been affected by
this. And one of the things we're going to have to do is focus on the
long-term rebuilding efforts, and we are. And that's one of the things
we're doing.

But in terms of our priorities, when it comes to continuing to
strengthen our economy, we want to continue to move forward on those
priorities, and we will with members of Congress. I'm not sure of all
the initiatives that they're talking about outlining, but that's where
--

Q But a hundred billion dollars-plus, maybe $150 billion, is a huge
hit on the United States Treasury. How are you going to make that up?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, our OMB Director talked about that the other day.
He talked about how -- first of all, you have to keep in mind that these
are one-time costs. It's going to have an impact more short-term, but
he believes, looking at where we are now, that we're going to be able to
stay on track with our deficit projections in terms of where we want to
be by 2009.

But we've got to continue to keep our economy growing, and that's
important to making sure that we move forward on the budget that we have
outlined is important to doing that, as well.

Q I have a Katrina question also. It's no secret that a lot of
people are saying, four years after September 11th, which is
approaching, this kind of demonstration that after the billions upon
billions of dollars that have been spent, the nation's response to an
emergency is a debacle. What's your response to that?

MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, one of the things that the President said
was that he's going to lead an effort to fully investigate the response
to Katrina. Like I said, there are a lot of areas there was good
response. But this was a storm like we have never seen before in this
country. It's one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's
history.

And we always have to assess things and look at the lessons and apply
those lessons so that we make sure that we're fully prepared for any
possible attack on this nation, particularly a WMD or weapons of mass
destruction attack, to make sure we're fully prepared for other
disasters that could be of this magnitude. We all hope, in our
lifetime, we never see anything like this again, and -- or to prepare
for other potential disease outbreaks. That's an area that we remain
focused on, that the President stays focused on, as well.

Q But do you understand those who might question the abilities of our
government to adequately prepare, given the --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I can understand those that are offering
constructive criticism and ideas for moving forward to solve the
problems that we have, and those that want to work together with all of
us who are focused on solving problems.

You make a very broad statement. I think some of the statements you're
probably referring to are people getting more into political talk, and
that's their business. What we're focused on is helping those on the
ground and bringing the nation together to help those in the region.
And that's why the President has been visiting the region, hosting
meetings with faith-based and community leaders, establishing --
directing his father and President Clinton to lead a charitable effort.

Now in terms of September 11th, we all remember very vividly the images
of that day, that terrible day. And the President is going to be
talking more about it here shortly. He's talking about it in his
remarks.

The one thing that I think we will remember, as much as the victims and
the great work of the first responders, is the resolve of this nation to
do all in our power to prevent something like that from happening ever
again. That's why the President made the decision that we were going to
take the fight to the enemy after the September 11th attack. That's why
the President made the decision that we're not going to ignore the
Middle East or appease dictators in the Middle East, we're going to help
change the Middle East by offering hope and freedom and help change that
breeding ground of terrorism.

Q But I think you sort of strayed from the point --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't think we did.

Q -- to the --

MR. McCLELLAN: But I think this all goes to your question.

Q -- of being prepared for an unexpected emergency of a huge
magnitude. The public opinion polls, notwithstanding the politicians'
criticisms, show that the government and the administration are not held
in high regard for their response to Katrina, four years after September
11th.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, there's going to be -- well, we already are
assessing things on the ground. People have been in the region. But
there's going to be a time to step back and look at this in the broader
context.

But you have to look at all that we've done since September 11th, Bob,
to make this nation safer and to prevent an attack from happening in the
first place. Our first priority is to focus on prevention, and that's
why the President put in place a comprehensive strategy, and not to pull
back or withdraw from the fight ahead. We are in a global war on
terrorism, and the President is going to see it through. And our
enemies know that.

Go ahead.

Q Scott, without asking you to comment specifically on Mr. Brown or
anyone else currently in office, do the events of the last week suggest
that maybe the time has come to consider professionalizing FEMA and
making future appointments based on people's relevant professional
credentials, like --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's just such a broad characterization, Warren. I
think you have to look at the overall number of people at FEMA and note
that -- or are engaged in the work on the ground. I think that's such a
broad characterization.

Go ahead, Carl.

Q From a sort of coordinating operational perspective now, who is
Chertoff's number two in command?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q Who is Chertoff's number two, operationally and coordinationally,
when you --

MR. McCLELLAN: Operationally? Operationally? Well, Secretary Chertoff
is the Secretary of Homeland Security, and Deputy Secretary Michael
Jackson is right under him, and then you have -- you have the FEMA
structure --

Q Who's down in the --

MR. McCLELLAN: Secretary Chertoff is in the region today, and he's
going to be briefing here shortly. And Secretary Chertoff, when he's
here, has been providing the President, in person, daily updates and
briefings, and they've been able to talk about the situation on the
ground. And the President has a tremendous amount of trust in Secretary
Chertoff to assess the situation and make the decisions necessary to
address the ongoing challenges that we face. Now, when Secretary
Chertoff isn't here, Deputy Secretary Jackson is here participating in
those briefings.

Q So when you say that the President has confidence in Chertoff's
decision-making down there, where does the FEMA Director fit in the
chain of command down there now?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there's an organizational chart, and I'll be happy
to get that you, or FEMA -- or DHS could, as well.

Q A follow-up question, if I could. On the Hill, there's a growing
sentiment that perhaps it's time to appoint a Katrina czar. What's the
administration's thought about that, and has the President begun to
think about possible czars?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, our thought hasn't changed from yesterday, and
"czar" is another one of these broad terms. And I think it depends on
what you're talking about when you bring this issue up, in terms of how
you're addressing situations. But the President has been focused on the
immediate needs and the longer-term challenges that we face. And we've
been laying the groundwork for the longer-term rebuilding efforts and
shouldn't lose sight of what's most important right now. What's most
important right now is to help those in the affected area. And the
President and this administration are looking at a lot of ideas for
moving forward on the longer-term rebuilding and recovery efforts, and
there are a number of options that are under consideration and a number
of ideas that are being expressed.

The President made it very clear we've got enormous challenges. We need
big ideas and big solutions to address those challenges.

Q One last question if I could, Scott.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we've got -- we've got --

Q Has the administration --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'd really like to -- the President is speaking here
very quickly --

Q There's a Time Magazine report now that there's a discrepancy in
Mr. Brown's resume. Can you at least tell us whether or not the
administration has looked into the Time Magazine report that there's a
discrepancy in Brown's resume or not?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that FEMA, Mike Brown's office, has put
out a statement in response to that, and they disputed the article.

Q Scott, quick question on 9/11 -- 9/11 is around the corner on
Sunday, and the President is still fighting this terrorism and still
getting high marks around the globe as far as terrorism is concerned.
And there was no (inaudible) terrorist attack on the U.S. and also
little terror around the globe. My question is that, how is the
President going to do different or to say that (inaudible) -- now say
victory over terrorism now, after four years?

MR. McCLELLAN: No. The war continues. The war continues. And the
President is continuing to move forward on our strategy, which is to
take the fight to the enemy, fight them overseas so we don't have to
fight them here, and to spread a hopeful ideology based on freedom and
democracy.

Q Scott, one on Warren's question. I mean, there's been several
stories the past few days -- senior-most FEMA people, whether it's Brown
or several of the others that have been named in the stories, have a lot
of Bush campaign experience, not as much management experience. Does
the President feel confident he's got the right people and the right
type of people at each level --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think there are over 2,000 -- I think there -- and
I'll have to double check this, but over 2,000 people at FEMA. And
those are people that have been working round-the-clock, as of late, in
response to Hurricane Katrina. And then there's obviously a small
number -- 20, maybe, something around that -- that are considered the
political appointees.

And in terms of structure, FEMA falls under the Department of Homeland
Security, and Secretary Chertoff is the Homeland Security Secretary.

Q Scott, but don't the --

Q Scott, they're not giving the media the information we need to get
out there.

MR. McCLELLAN: I need to move to other people's questions. Go ahead.

Q Thank you. Does the President support --

MR. McCLELLAN: Don't get so exasperated, we're continuing to brief you
all.

Q No, we're not getting information on the debit cards. How do we
tell people where to get them?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, that's -- there --

Q We're not getting information.

Q Does the President --

MR. McCLELLAN: They're continuing to put out information --

Q Can you just tell us, because we can't get it from them.

MR. McCLELLAN: Jessica, I'm going to go on to the next person. You
don't need to get --

Q Who do we talk to? Where can we get the information?

MR. McCLELLAN: People are providing that information. I just provided
you information that was put out by the Department of Homeland Security.

Q Does the President support his two fellow --

MR. McCLELLAN: You can get dramatic here, but the facts are that people
are providing regular updates.

Q Just tell us where to get it.

MR. McCLELLAN: FEMA can provide you with information on the debit
cards.

Q They're not. They're not. Our people on the ground are not
getting it.

Q Scott, does the President --

MR. McCLELLAN: Tell me who they are we'll get them the information. Go
ahead.

Q Does the President support his two Republican -- fellow Republican
governors, Schwarzenegger and Romney, in their campaign to stop same-sex
marriage?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President believes that the people's voice ought to
be heard when it comes to this issue. I'm trying to stick on the
Katrina subject, and so can we stick on Katrina? I promised Helen, I
wanted to get back to her. If you have other questions, I'll try to get
to you, but the President's speaking here momentarily.

Q I will yield.

Q On Katrina, can you give us a little bit more of -- on the update
for Sunday, when he's going to depart, roughly?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, we're still finalizing those details, but I expect
it will be mid-afternoon. And then we return late in the day on Monday.

Ken, go ahead.

Q Scott, why has the President chosen not to give a major, perhaps
prime-time address to the people concerning the hurricane?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President has addressed the nation and he will
continue to address the nation in his remarks. And right now, we're
continuing to focus on the most important area, which is the immediate
needs of the people on the ground. But you will continue to hear from
the President, the American people will continue to hear from the
President, and there are a number of different formats in which they
will hear from him.

Q Scott.

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Rick.

Q Scott, with so much focus on Katrina in the Gulf region and all the
regions surrounding that, how much concern is there that al Qaeda or
other terrorists might be using this kind of situation to their
advantage? Have we seen any increase of chatter at all among terrorist
groups?

MR. McCLELLAN: It's something we are very much focused on. The
President earlier this week held a National Security Council and
Homeland Security meeting to make sure that we are staying fully on top
of our counter-terrorism efforts. And there are people that are staying
on top of those issues. I don't have any update for you from an
intelligence standpoint. Obviously, any potential threat that we learn
about, we take very seriously. And you know in terms of where the
threat advisory system alert is at this point. But it's something that
we continue to stay focused on. There are people who focus on that area
round-the-clock, and we are going to make sure that we stay on top of
counter-terrorism priorities, as well.

Q Scott -- thank you, Scott. Now that the President has --

MR. McCLELLAN: Are we on Katrina?

Q No.

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, let me stay on Katrina.

Q Supposed to be a meeting this afternoon to -- is that supposed to
be just an update on the current situation, or does it just address the
future transitional housing --

MR. McCLELLAN: Both. And the President, in these meetings and -- one,
get an assessment from people who have a good sense of what's going on,
on the ground and what the needs are, and the experts and the people
he's put in charge of these areas. And talking about our plans for
moving forward to address short-term housing needs, mid-term housing
needs, temporary housing needs, and longer-term housing needs, because
for some people it's going to be a while before they get back.

And one thing Dick was asking about was the economy. And for those who
have been affected by this hurricane, it is not only have they lost
family members and lost everything they had, but it had a significant
impact on them from an economic standpoint. And we've got to do
everything we can to assist them to get back up on their feet. That's
why we put in place the plan yesterday, to help people get back up on
their feet as they transition back into a more normal life and as they
rebuild their lives. And that's what we will continue to do.

Go ahead.

Q Scott, when the President said a week ago that no one anticipated
the breach of the levee, it seems to have been well established that
that was just wrong, that there were many federal reports, many stories
over the years saying that in a hurricane of this strength that they
would be breached. Why was he so willing, and has he asked his experts
how he could have been --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think you've characterized something wrong and
interpreted something that he said in the wrong context. I'm glad you
brought this question up, because we did actually, I think, respond to
one news outlet that had asked about this, and most others had just
interpreted it a certain way. And it's been interpreted wrong.

What the President was referring to is that you had Hurricane Katrina
hit, and then it passed New Orleans. And if you'll remember, all the
media reports, or a number of media reports at that time, that Monday --
even all the way to the Tuesday papers, were talking to people and
saying that New Orleans had dodged a bullet. So I think that's what the
President is referring to, is that people weren't anticipating those
levees, after the hurricane had passed New Orleans, breaching. Many
people weren't. And you can go back and look at the news coverage at
that time.

So this is one of those issues in this environment where something has
been interpreted and interpreted wrongly. Because all you have to do --
and I'll be glad to provide you some of the coverage from that period
and what people were saying at that point. There were literally reports
saying that New Orleans had dodged a bullet or that the worst case
scenario didn't happen. Well, it did. And that's what the President
was referring to.

Q So when he is leading the investigation, there will be questions
about "he will be investigating himself." How can that properly be
done? Will he enable independent people to look at the kind of question
that you just addressed and others --

MR. McCLELLAN: A couple of things. One, in terms of investigating, I
mean, there are already things being investigated. We're assessing
things on the ground, as I mentioned at the top of this briefing, as
people visit that region and as people hear reports back from the
region. And where things aren't working, we're making them work; and
where things are wrong, going wrong, there are steps to make sure that
they're going right.

Congress is laying the groundwork to move forward on a joint bipartisan
committee that will investigate the preparedness and response, as well.
The President very much supports the efforts of Senator Frist and
Speaker Hastert to move forward in a bipartisan way on a committee to
look at some of these issues. And we will do a more thorough analysis
as part of an investigation, too, at the appropriate time. Right now,
we need to make sure that all resources are focused where they should
be, which is helping people in the region.

Go ahead, Helen.

Q Former Secretary Powell, Colin Powell says that his presentation to
the U.N. -- which was obviously full of falsehoods about Iraq's arsenal
-- is a blot on his career. I wonder whether the administration takes
any responsibility for his statement that led us into war in a big way?

MR. McCLELLAN: Look, accountability has been a priority in this
administration. This why the President established the Robb-Silberman
Commission, because the intelligence was wrong, and we must make sure we
have the best possible intelligence as we move forward to confront the
threats of the 21st century. And the Robb-Silberman Commission looked
at why the intelligence was wrong, so that we can fix the problems and
so that we can make sure we have the best possible intelligence. And
that's why we have a Director of National Intelligence now, that's why
we've taken --

Q The White House takes no responsibility?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, we took responsibility by acting to fix any problems
that were there, and we will do so in this instance, as well.

Les.

Q Yes. The president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, Kris
Mineau, told The Boston Herald that the posting on the Internet of names
and addresses of all who signed a petition to ban same-sex marriage is,
in her words, "intimidation." And my question, does the President
disagree with Ms. Mineau?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think the President has made his views very well
known when it comes to same-sex marriages. The President believes
marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman, and it is
something that ought to be protected. And the people of America, I
think, strongly support that position, as well.

Q Thank you.

MR. McCLELLAN: Jessica.

Q You said that headlines showed that we had dodged a bullet right
after the hurricane hit. Does the President rely on news headlines --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, absolutely not. I addressed that the other day.
Absolutely not. I'm just, I think, putting it into perspective,
Jessica. And I'm not saying that it was media; I'm saying talking to
people in the region, there were many people in the region that thought
that things -- that the worst case scenario had not happened. But we
know now differently. And you're referring to a question that was
brought up in this briefing. There was a mischaracterization of what
the President had said. And if people would have called and asked us,
we would have been glad to point that out to them. People did call us
-- at least one news organization -- and we expressed that to them

-- and there maybe have been others -- and I'm just --

Q But you said he discovered it in a news headline, so I'm asking --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm setting the record straight and I'm putting in
perspective what was going on at that time, and the sense that people
had initially. But that was a false sense, one that we should not have
had, in retrospect -- or that many people should not have had, in
retrospect. That's all. And don't try to take it further than what I
said.

Q Did the officials who were briefing him also tell him that they had
dodged a bullet?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't know -- I don't know of anyone

-- I mean, I know of everyone still working to respond and to make sure
that we were addressing the needs on the ground and assessing the
situation. People were working round-the-clock, they were still
assessing the situation. There were people that were in New Orleans
that -- I don't know whether state, local and federal first responders,
Army Corps of Engineer -- I don't think anyone was breathing any sigh of
relief at that point. But there were many that had felt that the worst
case scenario wasn't -- then it happened, when it initially was passing.
But we now know differently. But the first responders at the state,
federal, local level, they were all staying on top of things as best
they could under the situations, given that this was a massive
catastrophe, one like we've never seen before, and learned later that we
had some problems with the levees, that they had breached. And we know
what has happened since that time.

So that's why when you step back and look at this and talk about what we
faced, I mean, it's been an unprecedented challenge that we've had to
face and we're going to overcome it together by working together.